Employee Success Stories

Employee Success Stories

At Windemuller, we are committed to the growth and development of our employees. Every member of our work family has a unique story about their path to Windemuller and how they’ve grown.

Read their words below!

We’re proud of all of our employee success stories — and we’d love to add yours. Click here to apply.

JASON, Construction Foreman

"Most of all, I love working with the people at Windemuller. I also appreciate the opportunities for growth that are available here."

"I started with Windemuller in the summer of 2005, right after I graduated from high school. I had been a part of the Electrical Occupations program at the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Career-Tech Center in Traverse City, a vocational program focusing on electrical work. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a living, but Windemuller ended up offering me a job and the rest was history.

In the years since, I’ve spent most of my time working on projects at Munson Medical Center. Windemuller is a preferred contractor for the hospital and we handle everything from minor remodels to brand-new buildings. I’ve had the privilege of working as an electrician and an electrical foreman on these projects, some of them around patients and visitors. I’ve enjoyed seeing the impact that Windemuller’s field work has on customers and the community in general.

Most of all, I love working with the people at Windemuller. Most of the guys who were here when I started working with the company are still here. It’s a very positive team environment and I can’t imagine not working with some of these guys. I value the relationships I’ve built and am so glad they are a part of my day-to-day work life.

I also appreciate the opportunities for growth that are available here. Windemuller values its employees, which I think shows in the fact that so many of my team members and contemporaries have been here as long as I have—if not longer. If I wanted to advance, whether to a project manager role or some sort of office supervisory job, I know that Windemuller would be on board to help me achieve those goals. For now, I’m enjoying my field work and how the responsibilities differ from one day to the next. And with a few exciting projects coming down the pipeline at Munson, I plan on staying in my current role for the foreseeable future. But it’s comforting to know that Windemuller will have my back whenever I’m ready to take a new step."

JIM HOVEY, Account Manager

"Windemuller is a very fair employer and I know that, when I retire at the end of 2018, all the people I have spent the past 20 or 30 years working with will be in very good hands."

“I started my career as an apprentice in the Dow Chemical Electrical training program in the late 1960s, ultimately working my way up to a supervisory role with Dow. In 1971, I moved to the J.W. Construction Company as a superintendent for electrical and instrumentation work. That business was ultimately bought out by Collinson Construction, and I continued to work as a superintendent with the company until 1979. That year, my wife Rita and I acquired Collinson’s Electrical Division and turned it into our own business, Hovey Electric.

We ran Hovey Electric for 36 years, out of an office in Midland. By the end of 2013, Rita and I were starting to think about retirement and wondering how we were going to exit the business without closing the doors or leaving our employees without jobs. Many of our team members had been with us for the bulk of our three-plus-decade run, and we wanted to make sure the business could continue on without us.

The answer arrived in the form of Windemuller President Dave Beemer. He approached us and basically said that Windemuller wanted to establish a presence in Midland but didn’t want to compete against Hovey Electric. We talked and put together a deal where Windemuller would acquire Hovey Electric and make employment offers to all our employees. We closed the deal in 2014 and the last day of the year marked the last day of business for Hovey Electric. Since January 1, 2015, we have been a part of the Windemuller family.

I have been extremely pleased with the way things have gone since. Everyone on my team decided to accept the offers from Windemuller and we all came over as a team. Throughout my career, it’s always been important to me to bring young folks into the trade and support them as they go from apprentices to journeyman to supervisory roles and beyond. Being able to stay true to that side of things, even under the Windemuller umbrella, has been amazing. Windemuller is a very fair employer and I know that, when I retire at the end of 2018, all the people I have spent the past 20 or 30 years working with will be in very good hands.”

JEREMY, Account Manager

"I’m so glad to be in a career that makes me feel good about coming to work again. I have Windemuller to thank for that."

"I started my career installing communications and cabling back in 1998. Over the years, I’ve worked at companies of all different sizes. I’ve never found a work environment that feels as welcoming and fulfilling as what I’ve found at Windemuller. From the top down, there is an effort to create a tight-knit, family-oriented business. The feeling of walking into an office and connecting with everyone, or of knowing that the ownership and management really care about the employees here, is something that I really value.

I ended up coming to Windemuller because my previous job started to shift focus. I didn’t like spending so much time sitting in front of a computer, or never getting to go out in the field and meet people. I dipped my toe into my own communications and cabling business on the side for a bit, but when this opportunity came along I knew Windemuller was where I was meant to be.

Toward the end of 2015, I connected with Windemuller through a mutual contact. He told me they were looking to get deeper into the communications realm in the Midland area. It turned out Windemuller was looking for someone with exactly my experience and skillset. I took the job with Windemuller in January 2016 and spent the first year in the field, just getting to know the team and familiarizing myself with Windemuller’s processes and procedures. Now, I’ve moved into an account manager position with a lot more responsibility. The past few years have been a whirlwind, but I’m so glad to be in a career that makes me feel good about coming to work again. I have Windemuller to thank for that."

JESSICA, Project Manager

"Windemuller is a great place to work and I feel like I have so many opportunities to keep moving forward in the company. I truly feel like the sky is the limit with Windemuller.”

“I never anticipated working at Windemuller, or even working in this industry. I was going to school to get my accounting degree and I needed a job. On a whim, I sent my resume to Windemuller. They told me that there wasn’t a position available but that they would keep my resume on file in case something opened up in the future. I just appreciated them for responding at all, so I followed up with a simple thank-you email. Later that same day, they called me and asked me to come in for an interview.

Even though they didn’t technically have a position available, Windemuller took a chance and hired me. I spent a couple of months with the company doing odds and ends stuff: answering phones, doing paperwork, working with project managers; things like that. After the semester was over Windemuller was gracious enough to offer me a full-time position as a receptionist. Windemuller was very helpful in working with my schedule while I finished my accounting degree.

Slowly, Windemuller became my home. After I’d been with the company for about a year and a half, they offered me a position as electrical designer. I had some CAD experience, so I took the job. Fast-forward six and a half years and I’ve grown more here than I ever would have expected. I did electrical design for six years, went back to school to get my construction management degree, and now I’m a project manager. Windemuller is a great place to work and I feel like I have so many opportunities to keep moving forward in the company. I truly feel like the sky is the limit with Windemuller.”

CURTIS, Electrical Services Account Manager

"I don’t see any reason that I’d ever leave Windemuller. This company really values its employees and is committed to helping them grow."

"Windemuller is the only place I’ve ever worked. I’ve been here ever since high school, when one of my instructors asked me if I was interested in taking on an internship. I was attending the Career Tech Center here in Traverse City at the time, not really because I saw myself having a career in the trades, but because I liked the idea of getting off school campus every day. I jumped into the Electrical Occupations program over there at the beginning of my junior year, and things snowballed from there. Senior year, one of my instructors was a former Windemuller employee, and he gave me my first connection to the company.

I worked that internship throughout my senior year. I was mostly just loading up materials and driving them out to job sites, but I loved the work and the atmosphere of the company. When I graduated from high school and my internship ended, Windemuller offered me a full-time job. I took it.

That was 2002 and a lot of things have changed since then. I started out working in the field as a first-year apprentice. I was one of the only apprentices in the Traverses City office at the time, so I got to know a lot of people and work a lot of different types of jobs. I had so many mentors in those years, and I took a little knowledge from all of them. It helped me pass my journeyman’s test and move up the ranks to become a foreman.

Eventually, I moved into the office and became an account manager. These days, I work with customers, learn their needs, and figure out how Windemuller can meet those needs. It’s the perfect job for me, because I get to work face-to-face with people and because every day is a little bit different.

I don’t see any reason that I’d ever leave Windemuller. This company really values its employees and is committed to helping them grow. I always know that, if there’s some sort of training or development opportunity that would help me reach the next level, Windemuller would be receptive to that. The team atmosphere here is also just so incredible. Everyone is willing to teach and mentor one another. Without that spirit of mentorship, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It makes me humble, and it makes me want to do my part to mentor the next generation of guys like me."

JAMES, Communications Account Manager

"Windemuller is extremely loyal to their employees and always gives opportunities to grow and keep advancing."

"I came to Windemuller almost by fate. As I neared the end of high school back in 2008, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career. I knew that college wasn’t the right fit for me, but I wasn’t sure what I should pursue instead. At my graduation party, I had a conversation with my cousin, who worked at Windemuller at the time. He said they were hiring a communications apprenticeship and encouraged me to apply.

Throughout high school, I’d worked for the dad of one of my friends, doing roofing, drywall, and other residential construction work. I didn’t have a ton of experience, but I got the job and the employees at Windemuller really took an interest in helping me learn and grow. In those early years, I spent a lot of time doing on-the-job training with my foreman, just learning the ropes of the industry. I caught on quickly, and three or four years in, I was starting to run jobs by myself.

Windemuller is extremely loyal to their employees and always gives opportunities to grow and keep advancing. I went from being a communications apprentice to a foreman to an account manager in less than nine years. Over time, I’ve had opportunities to work with people in every department at the company, and everyone shares the same philosophy of working as a team and helping others succeed. It’s a great environment to be in, and it makes work feel like home."

JOHN, VP of Electrical Services

"In my eyes, the best thing about Windemuller is how it allows employees to grow from first-year apprentices into company leaders—just like I did."

"Today, I’m Windemuller’s Vice President of Electrical Services. Years ago, though, I was just like many of our other entry-level workers: a first-year apprentice learning the ropes of the field. My first chapter with Windemuller didn’t last long. After a quick stint from 1993 until 1994, I took another job to be closer to home. While I was out getting experience in the oil fields and working with other contractors, though, Windemuller was always ready to welcome me back. I rejoined the team in 2002 as a project manager, and the rest is history.

My return to Windemuller was motivated by a search for a leadership responsibilities, I got the chance to shift my focus “from projects to people,” managing electrical teams and mentoring new talent. In my eyes, the best thing about Windemuller is how it allows employees to grow from first-year apprentices into company leaders—just like I did.

That’s the culture here. We want people to be successful. We believe in promoting from within. It’s not unusual for people to have been here for 20 or 30 years starting as field techs and growing to company leaders. You see people retire from here. It’s really unique. But as we grow, there are so many opportunities for new leaders. The future leaders of this company are probably already working here."

NATHAN, Service Technician

"I know that Windemuller has a culture of advancement and growth, and that someday I’ll move beyond my role as a service technician for bigger and better things."

"When I came to Windemuller as a first-year apprentice in 2014, I was 18 years old and following in my father’s footsteps. My dad had worked at Windemuller for years, moving up the ladder from a service role to an account manager position. After a year or two, though, I decided to forge my own path and left Windemuller for a job at another electrical contracting company. I was enticed by a higher salary, but I quickly realized that I was missing the Windemuller culture. I missed Windemuller’s familial atmosphere, absolute commitment to safety and quality, and variety of projects. As I started my own family, I also began to feel that Windemuller’s employee benefits—from insurance to 401(k) matching—were a cut above what other companies in the industry were offering.

Before long, I came up with a plan: build up some more experience, earn my journeyman electrician license, and then return to Windemuller. Now I’m 22 years old and happy to be back with the company where I got my start, working alongside my dad, my brother, and a team of people who care. And this time, I’m sticking around for good. After watching my dad move up at the company over the years, Iknow that Windemuller has a culture of advancement and growth, and that someday I’ll move beyond my role as a service technician for bigger and better things."